


A Matter of Trust

by QueenofBabble



Category: The Folk of the Air - Holly Black
Genre: Building trust, Control Issues, F/M, Kink Exploration, Light BDSM, Masturbation, Orgasm Control, Power Dynamics, Praise Kink, Vibrators, gifted kid burn out shit, the vibe is female pleasure
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-14
Updated: 2021-02-21
Packaged: 2021-03-15 15:48:27
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,133
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29438526
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/QueenofBabble/pseuds/QueenofBabble
Summary: Jude was a gifted child who went as far as she could go, before she realized she had no idea what to do without the system she'd relied on to tell her who she was. The solution, would lead her to a place she never imagined herself in and trusting one person she never imagined she could.aka Jude's a former gifted kid burn out who takes up kink as a hobby
Relationships: Jude Duarte/Cardan Greenbriar
Comments: 4
Kudos: 57





	1. Chapter One

After the accident that had taken her parents away from her and her sisters, Jude retreated into the one place that was safe— books. Her older sister Vivienne had promptly gone to her biological father, Madoc, but he had also decided to adopt Jude and her twin Taryn. They had no tie to him; only that they were the children of his ex-wife and that Vivi was their half-sister. Still, he had truly become their father over time. 

Madoc has whisked them away to a world that was different from what they knew. He was a political adviser having made a career out of helping people win their campaigns and he was paid well for it. Enough to keep himself and three young girls comfortable for years until eventually a new wife and son came along. Even then they were still comfortable as Madoc called it. They were not exactly rich, but they were not exactly not rich either. 

Part of being comfortable was going to some of the best schools in Connecticut. There they had taken special interest in Jude. She was quickly, at seven years old, declared a gifted child. Her studies came easily, and her reading was far advanced for her age, already at high school level. Madoc encouraged this, as did her teachers. She was smart, she would have a wonderful future and they wanted to encourage that. She was moved to the gifted program where the classes were more difficult and better suited her. 

Jude had taken to the program fairly easily. She had loved to read, devouring whatever books she could get her hands on to keep the memories at bay. School work was never too hard to follow so she could just as comfortably lose herself in that. At school she had felt safe and like she meant something. She was given special attention and praise for her work. Every accomplishment meant something. _She_ was somebody. 

If that had inflated her ego a bit, she tried not to let it show. Jude was just at a higher caliber than those around her. Elementary school had been a breeze and middle school much the same. Jude was at the top when it came to academics and had even picked up fencing as well. Each earned her the praise and admiration which she came to desire. She belonged. 

High school changed many things for Jude. She still loved to read; she still enjoyed her schoolwork, but it had led her further down the rabbit hole. Freshman year only showed Jude that she had to buckle down, the classes had gotten more labor intensive, but that she could handle that. As a freshman she was moved to the junior level science and English classes, and there she met what she could not so easily handle. Instead of mostly being known within her own grade, Jude attracted the attention of upperclassmen. Some who seemed far more mature physically than she currently was at only two years younger. She was the only freshman in these classes and for some that was a slight.

There were four who had decided she was worthy of their disdain— Nicasia, Locke, Valerian, and Cardan. All from wealthy families, all vying for top spots in colleges, and all extremely popular. Jude had heard of them before, seen them in the halls or the quad, even a few times at football games and dances. She didn’t think they were very nice, but they were even worse when it came to her. In class it was fairly easy to ignore them, academics were taken seriously and distractions, even from the children of influential families would be called out. But Jude quickly learned to keep her bag close to her.

Once Nicasia had pulled her bag during a lab and gone through it finding a journal Jude had stupidly carried on her at the time. It wasn’t very long until photos were circulating around with her most intimate thoughts scrawled on the pages. After that, during all of her classes Jude kept her backpack under her desk with her legs wrapped through the straps so no one could ever take it from her again. 

The incident had made her an easy target. Surely if Cardan Greenbriar, the King of Hotchkiss himself was participating it made it cool. Cardan liked to repeat her own words back to her, to make her feel less than. But the worst of them all was Valerian. He did not seem to understand when it was time to stop. For two years he like to push her around into lockers and doors and tripping her up in hallways. He liked to see pain and that Jude would never forget. No matter what he did Jude would not give him the satisfaction of her reaction. 

A reaction is what he wanted the most though. Not long before Valerian and the rest of them were set to graduate, he had shown up to school with a knife. He had tried to corner her, to slash at her, but she had ended up disarming him and stabbing the knife through his hand. 

It had been a bit of a mess after. Madoc had to get involved, flying back from a job just to yell at the school board and end any discussion of lawsuits with Valerian’s family. In the end Jude was suspended for two days and Valerian graduated as if nothing happened. Somehow, though he wasn’t going to an Ivy League anymore but to a California state school far, far away from the east coast. It had given Jude a good amount of satisfaction that Valerian now had a damaged hand and had seemingly been exiled.

At the very end of that school year, even more perplexingly was the apology she received from Locke, Cardan and Nicasia. It was not much of an apology at all, but they had at least agreed that it had gone too far. Jude still hated them, but perhaps if she ever had to deal with them again, they would at least be better people after seeing how terribly their bad behavior could make things. 

College had been another awakening entirely. Here, Jude was just like anyone else. In classes of two hundred or more, professors did not take time to call out students individually as good examples. If her work was good only she would know it. Fencing was no longer viable besides as a hobby, she had gone as far with it as she could go. There was little she could chase to be the best anymore. It had led Jude to feelings of despair she couldn’t quite understand the reason behind. Even if no one but her knew though, her own expectations of herself had grown so high she could not bear to let even herself down. No matter the pain or disinterest she might feel she pushed herself forward. Her brain grew more crowded and her own judgment of herself was harsh. Jude graduated Summa Cum Laude from Carnegie Mellon with a pocketful of debt and bottles of anxiety meds. 

She had moved quickly into a career getting a job out of school that she began in the fall as an operations analyst. Her job was to fix, smooth, and cut costs. If there was a problem, she was to be the solution. It was high pressure; high stakes and the thrill gave Jude something she needed to make the days not drag on too terribly. But with risk comes the fear of the fall. Jude had fear, a lot of it in fact, built up deep inside her. 

She was a former gifted kid who was now as far as she could go with it. What did she have to show for it? She had a solid job, but it was no fantasy she had once dreamed of because of the books she read. She had people to tell her how she was doing, but she dreaded failing them. She could live comfortably, at least that she could think of no downside for. The system she had relied on for so long to tell her who she is and where she belonged was gone. 

Small mistakes were not small to Jude. Mistakes were just another way of showing how for all she had achieved especially at a young age, she was fallible, she was like anyone else, she was not extraordinary. Sometimes it drove her not to try beyond herself. She knew what she was good at it, so she stuck with it. Often that drove her crazy. She had picked up a string of habits and hobbies she had quickly given up on when she did not do them well enough to her own critical satisfaction.

It was clear she needed an outlet and Jude was determined to find one. She had gone down rabbit holes of Google searching endlessly clicking through different articles and topics until there is one thing she came across that actually made her feel something more. It had come about in the strangest of ways, a TikTok. 

Once Jude had downloaded the app ironically, out of curiosity, and at her little brother Oak’s urging so she could like his dance videos. Eventually she had come to spend many mindless hours scrolling through, especially after hard days at work for an easy distraction from herself. The video that had popped onto her for you page, was about kink. She had seen some videos in this vein before and had quickly scrolled past not thinking of what she felt. This time however the perfectly unperfect woman spoke to the camera about feeling burnt out, under pressure, and looking for an outlet. Jude knew those feelings well. She was struggling with them badly herself, as much as she tried to push it off. The thing that had helped this woman was giving up her control. 

At first, Jude had sat stunned at the revelation. This could help her. The woman’s voice kept playing on a loop as Jude seriously considered it. Eventually she had paused the video and opened her laptop for a deep dive into the topic. And oh, what she found there was appealing. 

All she had to do was let someone else take charge and she could get so much in return, a way to let go, praise, and perhaps even a relationship. She had never prioritized love. Her academics and fencing were her main priority up through college. Afterwards Jude had been busy getting her career started. There had been dates, hook ups, and trysts in between but those were different. She made an impulsive decision that very night and signed up for a kink site hoping to meet someone who could help her. 

She spent a solid few hour perfecting her profile, no picture necessary. She was AmberEyre, amber for her eyes and Eyre taken from _Jane Eyre_ the protagonist of one of her favorite books. She had gone through a very long list to pick likes and dislikes and limits to better match her with others. There were also preferences for age, physical attributes, and interests. When she finally set herself to public it was with a rush of adrenaline. 

There had been a few people who contacted her and quickly. She had carried on discussions with a number of people until they slowly pattered out when she or they would lose interest or simply hit a wall. There was only person who she had really found interesting and that was GreenViper724. 

Viper was different. He had not come out immediately trying to dominate her like some of the people she had come across. Instead, he had made a joke that she had actually found funny. Meeting online could often be cringey, but with Viper they seemed easy. They had started by talking about why they had joined the site. Jude had honestly talked about her newness and interest in exploring due to the burn out she had been dealing with. Viper had told her he was looking for a more longtime partner rather than his previous short term submissive after being in the scene for a few years. It appealed to Jude, she didn’t think she would be able to bounce around from person to person and truly trust any of them. They talked about all kinds of things including their interests outside of kink. They both enjoyed books though their taste differed. An easy dynamic had formed, and then it went deeper. 

They had begun having a few sessions through chat messages. Simple directions, easy things Jude could follow without getting too deep but exploring. 

GreenViper724: Touch yourself. The way you’ve always dreamed someone would touch you. Explain it to me.

AmberEyre: I let my hand move down into my panties. I’ve always wanted someone to just know how to touch me and make me cum.

GreenViper724: If you’re a good girl, I’ll let you cum. Keep going.

AmberEyre: I’m touching my clit. Circles work well, a vibe works better.

GreenViper724: But a vibe doesn’t make you earn it, like the old-fashioned way. I think you like a good challenge ;)

AmberEyre: You’re right. I do like a challenge. I’m going faster now.

GreenViper724: Tell me how it feels.

AmberEyre: It’s good. It feels good. 

GreenViper724: Do you make noise when you touch yourself like this or do you try to keep quiet so no one can hear how good you can feel?

AmberEyre: Both… I can’t hold back sometimes, but I’m scared to let go incase anyone hears.

GreenViper724: Don’t be afraid today. It’s just you and me, let yourself feel it. 

GreenViper724: Right now let out whatever sounds you make. 

AmberEyre: I can’t believe i just did that...

GreenViper724: How was it?

AmberEyre: Electrifying!

GreenViper724: That’s what I like to hear darling. Keep going, move faster now.

Amber Eyre: It’s so close, I can feel it.

GreenViper724: That’s good, that’s really good. Let me know when you’re on the edge. 

AmberEyre: I’m there. I’m right there. 

GreenViper724: Ah, ah not yet. You didn’t ask permission. 

AmberEyre: Please?

AmberEyre: Please let me cum?

AmberEyre: Don’t leave me like this! Come on!!

GreenViper724: Just drawing it out a little, i’m right here. 

AmberEyre: Please, sir.

GreenViper724: That’s the magic word. Cum for me, let everything go and enjoy it. 

GreenViper724: Are you alright? It’s been like a minute.

AmberEyre: Sorry, i needed a sec. That was one of the best orgasms I have ever given myself. 

GreenViper724: You can’t imagine how incredibly hot that is to hear. You did an amazing job.

AmberEyre: Really? You think so?

GreenViper724: Absolutely, you were such a good girl. 

The whole thing was refreshing. Jude liked this and she liked this guy. For the first time in a long time, she actually felt satisfied. They had many more conversations and sessions of play online, but soon they had both felt the urge to meet the other. They had picked a bar to meet up at. Something casual but that would be loud enough so others wouldn’t pick up their conversation. 

The date was set for Friday night. Jude had spent every night that week imagining just how it would go. In some he would take her home with him, in others they would go to her place, sometimes they fucked right in the bathroom of the bar, and once in a while they rented out a hotel room. It would go so well, or it would go terribly wrong and Jude couldn’t pick which it would be. Either way, that night she got dressed up in some of her best jeans that hugged her ass perfectly and a lowcut top. Her most comfortable boots were on her feet, giving her the boost of confidence, she needed. Catching her image in the mirror, she looked the part. She had also slipped a dark green scrunchie onto her wrist, it’s the defining item she told Viper she would be wearing, even sending a picture of it to him. She took one last look before heading out the door.

Emerson’s Bar was only half crowded by the time Jude arrived. The atmosphere was sophisticated, but relaxed. Drinks were flowing easily from the bar, no rush just yet to cause a backup. The lights weren’t low enough to hide people’s faces, everything was just right as she had hoped. She takes a seat at the bar like she promised she would and orders a vodka cranberry to help calm her nerves. It is nothing too potent so as long as she only has one or two, she’ll be just fine. 

Then she is left waiting. Glancing down at her phone she had gotten their ten minutes early. She kicks herself for letting that happen. She should have been five minutes late to save herself from this purgatory of anticipation, but she just couldn’t sit home anymore. She nurses her drink slowly and keeps her eyes on the door. A few more people have trickled in as she waits, but the seat next to her is still empty. She is looking at that very seat when the door opens again, but she doesn’t catch who arrived. 

“Amber?” A deep voice questions from behind her and Jude turns around her heart in her throat. 

“Viper?” She questions, before her eyes lock on him and her stomach drops. Before her wearing the distinctive green and yellow and black color blocked jacket she saw a picture of is none other than Cardan Greenbriar. 

“Oh my god,” Jude turns back around in her chair and grabs for her vodka cranberry drinking it down in one go. 

Cardan, to her complete horror and embarrassment sits down beside her. “Uh, long time no see?” 

Jude’s horror vanishes in an instant. “Are you making a joke right now? Seriously, right now?” She asks turning to him, her eyes alight with anger. 

“I didn’t really know what else to say,” Cardan admits holding his hands up innocently. 

Damn him. Truly and utterly damn him. Somehow, Cardan had grown even more handsome since the very last time she had seen him in the hallowed halls of their prep school. He had grown at least another two inches and his lankiness had grown into lean sinewy muscle. His dark eyes were still as mysterious as ever. His hair curled at the ends giving his angled face an angelic softness. It pissed her off how attracted to him she is, a fire burning in her belly. 

“Did you know?” Jude asks, accusation laced in her question. “Tell me right now.”

“No, I didn’t know, how was I supposed to know?” Cardan says with surprise. He may have always had a flair for the dramatic, but he was no actor. “Look Jude, I’m sure the impression you have of me is not a very good one. I was a fucked up a kid and I had to deal with that. But I don’t play games like that anymore.”

“Games? What you and your group of well off, pretentious bullies did was a game to you?” Jude burns. 

“At the time, yes, that’s what we thought everything was. But I hope I’m not that person anymore.” Cardan says and waves the bartender over. Surprisingly though, he doesn’t order a drink but a diet soda. Jude can hardly remember a time when Cardan didn’t smell like alcohol in high school. She had seen the water bottle which surely was filled with some clear hard liquor each day. No one had ever said anything though. This is enough to cool her off a bit.

“Are you sober?” Jude asks. This is definitely prying, but now she’s curious.

Cardan takes a sip of his drink and nods. “Yeah. Three years actually.” 

Jude’s silent for a moment taking the information in. Could he really have changed as much as he said? It has been nine years since she has seen him though, a near decade could change some things. 

“That seems good,” She says twisting around the scrunchie on her wrist. 

“It is good. It was past time I stopped slowly killing myself,” he says bluntly. Jude can appreciate bluntness. 

“Look,” Cardan starts again, “I didn’t expect you, but at least it gives me a chance to actually say I’m sorry for what I did and for what I didn’t stop in high school.” 

Jude watches him for any signs of deception, but there’s nothing she can see. His Adam’s apple bobs, and she realizes he _is_ actually sorry. 

“Thanks,” Jude says accepting. “I guess it’s good to know that not every asshole in high school stays that way.” 

“Okay I deserved that,” He puts his soda down and turns more towards Jude. “I want to talk about why we both came here. Before you start yelling at me again, I like Amber.”

She’s surprised he’s brought it up, but they did come here for a reason. Online, they had built something special. The connection they had made was real and given that fresh start they did get on more than well even, they were magnetic. This situation is precarious, but Jude had felt so free with Viper that she is not ready to throw it all away just yet. 

“I liked Viper,” she admits turning a bit more towards him. “Now though it’s definitely complicated.” 

Cardan’s fingers dance against the dark carved wood of the bar and his black eyes meet her own. He looks at her intensely and with what she thinks is desire. He wants her. Holy shit, Cardan Greenbriar wants _her_. It’s something Jude tucks away as a victory. Perhaps sparring with him could be fun. Now that she no longer fences, this challenge could be what she needs. Could she keep winning against him? 

“I get that, but I don’t want to give up on this before it’s even gotten a chance.” Cardan says. 

“Then what do _you_ suggest we do, Cardan?” Jude asks him plainly and directly. She’s giving him the chance to present his case to her. Maybe, just maybe she’ll agree to it. 

“I can give you what you want, Jude” He says. His eyes are intense as he tells her more, “I’ll show you if you only say the word.” 

Jude decides that trying it in fact, will for sure let he know whether or not this is a good idea. She now can’t seem to stop thinking of all the ways they would please each other… he did have such graceful fingers. She knows this is all about control though, and if they are going to go into it, they’re going in on her orders. 

“One shot. Tomorrow at a hotel. You pick, you arrange it, and you give me the details of when and where. That’s the only way I’ll do it,” Jude dictates exactly what she wants. 

“Done,” Cardan agrees without a second of hesitation. “I’ll set it up now.” 

Jude’s only a little surprised at how quickly he agrees. The want in his eyes in true, at least physically. Right now, this is the closet she’s gotten to feeling a rush of pleasure in a long time. 

“Good. Then I’ll see you tomorrow,” Jude pushes her long empty glass towards the bartender’s side and stands up. 

“You’re leaving?” He raises a brow. 

“I told you it was one shot,” she shrugs. 

“This is going to be interesting,” Cardan says, and a sly smirk crosses his lips. 

It is the first time today Jude has seen a glimpse of the dominant she had talked to online for weeks. She swallows down the bubble of desire that has risen within her. She has to be strong. 

“It certainly is,” Jude agrees.

It’s on that note that Jude flees the bar.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! This chapter is one of my favorites I’ve written thus far. If you like you can find me on Tumblr at [babblesbabble](https://babblesbabble.tumblr.com/). I’d love to chat with you.


	2. Chapter Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jude gives Cardan a chance to show her this isn't a completely terrible idea.

It is only two hours later when Jude recieves a message from Cardan.

_ 4pm at the Insmoor Hotel. I’ll be waiting by the lounge in the lobby.  _

The instructions are simple enough. It seems as if he’s truly taking this seriously, he’s followed through on exactly what she asked for. The Insmoor is a notoriously expensive boutique hotel in SoHo and she can’t imagine it was easy getting a room for a Saturday night so last minute. That gives Jude a bit of hope to hold onto. She has her reservations about him, but her desire is winning out. 

Because his instructions were so vague Jude ends up packing an overnight bag just in case. She has a few changes of clothes, toiletries, and some precautionary items. If she threw in some lube and condoms along, it was only for her own good. She does not know what he’s going to ask of her, if they will leave the hotel or only stay in, so she prepares for all the possible scenarios she can think of. She checks her list multiple times to make sure she’s fully prepared to go into tonight. 

4:00 pm comes quicker than Jude thought it could. She finds Insmoor, nestled besides a locally famous bakery and art studio, and luxury shopping across the street. She arrives right on time, but she waits a few minutes before she goes in. She wants him to wait, wonder if she’s coming after all. This is her game now and she is going to win. She strides in with confidence, whether it is true or fake she doesn’t think about. What truly matters is what she appears to be. She has her overnight bag, casually across her shoulder. She is striving to give off an air of ease. 

Her anger from yesterday has melted into curiosity. Answers were something Jude could let herself chase over, because once she had them, she knew what she was dealing with. Today was the biggest question of all: could they really do this? 

Her eyes dart around taking in the large and glittering lobby. Dark marble covers the floor oozing elegance. The furniture is largely white and grand, crystal chandeliers hang from above. She finally spies the lounge, it stands out from the rest of the lobby, the chairs and couches are a rich blue on cream carpet. Sitting in the middle of it all is Cardan, once more. He fits in seamlessly, there is a natural elegance to him that rarely puts him out of place. 

Jude comes and stands in front of him. She simmers, just there under the surface of the friction in the air is desire. 

“Hi,” she greets simply. 

He’s drinking a coffee from pristine white china that he sets aside upon her arrival. 

“I’m glad you came,” he says, but doesn’t move. “Are you ready to go upstairs?”

Jude nods, “Ready as I’ll ever be.” 

It is the easiest truth. Her impulsiveness had brought her this far, but that alone won’t last forever. She has to know for certain if this actually has a possibility of seriously working or not. And if not, the sooner they figure that out, the better for her to forget this ever happened and put it all behind her. 

Cardan stands up, his clothes still in perfect order, “Let’s go.”

Without another beat, he leads them toward the elevators. They step in, her first and then him. The ride up is silent. Jude knows there isn’t anything to say right now, keeping quiet is the best thing for both of them. There’s a certain excitement that builds in the stillness or maybe it’s tension, it’s hard to tell when everything is so unclear. 

The doors open to one of the higher floors of the building and Cardan steps out, Jude is a step behind him, he doesn’t slow down until he reaches the room. Jude is hanging in anticipation and she hates it. He opens the door without a word and lets her inside. Without his prompting she puts her bag down on the plush carpeting. The silence starts to feel overbearing when he breaks it. 

“I want to jump right in if you’re up for it,” Cardan says taking a seat in a grey armchair by the far side of the bed. 

Jude steps farther into the room, it’s a standard room, though unusually large for a Manhattan hotel. There is a king-sized bed that takes up the middle of the room, a sitting area is on the far side of the room by the double windows outfitted with a loveseat and matching armchair that Cardan has taken as his throne. It will do just fine. 

“I think I can do that,” Jude says, sitting down on the bed. 

He doesn’t waste a moment getting down to business, “First off, safe words. You can pick one to stop or we can use the traffic light system,” he lays out for her. 

“Traffic light. It’s the clearest system,” Jude decides, any and all precautions should be taken for their first time with this.

“Perfect,” he nods approvingly, and Jude feels pleased with herself that he agreed with her choice. “Next thing I need to know is what you’re comfortable with today. I don’t plan on touching you intimately. That takes time to build. Are you okay with doing it yourself?” 

Jude considers what he’s asking her. They won’t be having sex, that’s one less thing to worry about at least, but it makes we wonder if it’s because he doesn’t want her that way. Maybe it’s a stupid thought, he looked at her with such yearning in the bar. His words echo in her head,  _ It takes time to build _ , making her realize he’s right—she doesn’t want to just jump right into that. 

“I’m okay with doing it myself,” She agrees. “I don’t want to touch you that way either today. I am curious what we’re actually going to be doing then.”

So much of this, from what she had seen, had to do with sex, so what happens when sex is out of the equation? 

“That’s the fun of it. It’s open to so much more,” Cardan grins. “I see you brought a bag with you.” His eyes are focused across the room and then come back to her, “Why?” 

She looks back at her bag. “I wanted to be prepared,” she shrugs. “That’s all.” 

“Did you bring other clothes?” he asks. 

“Yes,” she answers. 

“I want to pick an outfit out for you. That will be a good way to start, ease you in.” He clarifies. 

Jude hesitates. What he’s saying is perfectly reasonable, she has no reason to object besides that she is unused to listening to him. She turns away purposefully and grabs her small duffle, bringing it over and planting it at his feet, “I guess that sounds good.”

He picks up the bag and unzips it slowly looking through it. “For one night you pack a lot of clothes,” he comments a peek of a smirk on his lips.

“Better to be prepared than caught off guard,” she remains firm. 

He doesn’t say anything else and continues to look through the clothes she brought, pulling out a tan sweater and a black tennis skirt. 

“How do you feel, on the traffic light system?” He asks looking into her eyes. 

She’s sure of this, “Green.”

“Okay,” he nods, “Take these and get changed, keep your underwear on.” 

“Fine,” Jude grabs her clothes from his hands and walks over to the bathroom. 

This gives her a minute to assess what she has gotten into. He hasn’t asked anything crazy of her, yet. In fact, he has been accommodating and maybe even nice about things. It’s not the Cardan she knew, but perhaps that is the best thing about it. 

She takes her pants and top off changing into the clothing he’s designated for her. She doesn’t know why he picked these things, was it random? Did he have something in mind? It’s not something she really would have chosen. She had put a fairly strange assortment of clothing in her bag to prepare for the possible and impossible situations tonight could have led to. She doesn’t mind the outfit in the end. It’s nothing overtly sexual, however, it does remind her in a way of the school uniforms she used to wear. 

It’s that thought that pushes her back out of the bathroom and to him. What exactly has she just gotten herself into? In truth she has no idea and her over planning and over thinking has probably made her miss the simplest of things. She has been thinking of him as  _ the  _ Cardan Greenbriar, of the boy she knew in school who never seemed to care about anyone or anything but himself. He’s not that Cardan anymore. No, this is the man she’d been talking to online; this is Viper and from everything they talked about he was going to do deliciously wicked things to her. 

“You look nice,” Cardan compliments after Jude reappears. 

“Thanks,” She puts her folded clothes back in her bag. “So now what?” 

“Now, you follow my lead. You can say no to anything and we’ll stop and talk about it. This is serious and I promise you Jude, I won’t lead you astray,” his words are gentle and genuine. Jude believes him and the fire in her belly starts to ache with eager intensity. 

“I’ll follow your lead,” she agrees. “I’m ready.”

He nods and Jude can tell something has shifted now that she has given her full permission. It is truly happening now. 

“You’ll address me as Sir, good manners are just as important as good behavior,” Cardan says as his eyes begin to trail down her body, memorizing every inch. He is every bit haughty as she had once expected he would end up, but it fits so well in this. 

She swallows the lump in her throat. She’s hanging to his words too much, and answers, “Yes, Sir.” 

Turns out, it isn’t as hard to say as she imagined. 

“That’s good,” he encourages, he’s easing her into this one step at a time. The process is agonizing and yet all the more pleasurable for it. 

“I have a task for you,” Cardan tells her grabbing a book from the nightstand Jude had failed to notice was there. “You told me it was hard to find a challenge anymore, that all the attention left you craving more. You’re going to sit in this chair.” 

He stands up vacating it for her. Jude moves to sit down and now has to look up at him. She can feel the heat he’s left behind. Her ankles cross and she presses her thighs together. She is wet, just this much exchange of power has made her wet enough to feel it. 

“Now what?” She asks impatient to move forward. She needs more.

“Patience,” he says and gives her shoulder a squeeze that nearly makes her squirm in front of him. He continues, “You’re going to read aloud from this book. Don’t miss a single word.” 

She lets out a slight huff of a laugh surprised at what he’s asking. It is just reading a book, that can’t be that hard. 

“Oh, you think that’s easy, don’t you?” He leans forward getting to her eye level. 

In that moment Jude realizes she has just made a mistake, her heart jumps, because she suspects he is not simply going to let this slip and maybe she likes that. 

“Yes, it sounds pretty easy to read from a book,” Jude says earnestly with perhaps misplaced bravado. There is something about pushing back that feels truly like her.

“You didn’t let me finish,” He says pulling back to grab something he has hidden in the bedside drawer. 

It’s a box with a brand-new small bullet vibrator and a remote next to it. Jude then is able to piece together what he wants. She has underestimated him. It fills her with wonderful quaking surprise at this new development. This will be a challenge and Jude is confident she can succeed in it. She won’t allow herself to fail. 

“I see. Let’s do it,” she nods, her hands squeezing the arms of the chair in anticipation. 

Cardan quickly takes the pieces from the box and hands her the bullet. “I want you to slip this into your underwear so it can press on your clit. Don’t move it, let it hold itself in place, understood?” he questions. 

“Yes, Sir, I understand,” she takes it from him and lets her hands disappear under her skirt to place the small vibrator right where it needs to be. “It’s there.”

Cardan nods and goes to lounge across the large bed looking completely at ease. He’s comfortable with control and maintaining the balance. “Stoplight,” he calls out. 

“Green,” Jude answers quickly. 

“Good,” he answers, “Start from the beginning, go.”

At his order, Jude picks up the book from where she had placed it aside and opens to the first page of  _ Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland _ . 

“Chapter One, Down the Rabbit Hole,” Jude announces focusing intently on her task. “ _ Alice was beginning to get very tired, _ ” she begins. 

Jude is barely a line in when he turns the vibrator on. She takes a sharp intake of air at the surprise of it, but the pulsing sensations feel so good to her already electric body. It takes her a moment to remember where she was. He said not to miss a word and she won’t. 

She continues on able to get through about two pages before the intensity changes, “ _ She did not like to dro- _ ” she cuts off midsentence her breath going light and making a soft noise she didn’t quite know she could make. She closes her eyes trying to focus again, the pleasure is intense and it’s easy to concentrate on that, lose herself to it. 

“Keep going,” Cardan orders and turns it up another notch. 

Jude groans this time. He’s making this difficult, really difficult. “ _ Drop the jar for fear _ …” she picks up again continuing on. She manages, with some long pauses and panting breaths to make it through the first chapter of the book. It feels like a far bigger accomplishment than anything she has tackled in the last year. She is teetering so close to the edge. Jude looks to him, is this enough? 

“Did I say to stop?” He says raising a brow at the silence. 

“I- no,” she shakes her head trying to clear it a bit of the fog. “No, I’m close,” she admits. Her face is burning at the admission. 

“Hmm,” he ponders, “keep going, another two pages,” he instructs causing Jude to whine in irritation. It is so unlike her but utterly real. “Then you can beg for it.” 

She is truly close now. He’s giving her the path to victory; all she has to do is grab it out from her frustration. She picks up reading again, speaking quickly but nearly tripping over a few words. Her tight control has slipped away. As soon as the second page is finished, she shuts the book closed and hastily shoves it to the bedside table. 

“Let me cum,” she demands her eyes burning into his. 

“Tsk,” he shakes his head and turns up the power. “That’s no way to ask permission.” 

She groans again and her hands grip at the arms of the chair. “Please,” she spits the word out, “Please I want to cum.” 

He doesn’t answer her, and it is torture. Her eyes sting with tears burning of embarrassment and failure. She needs to make him say yes. 

“Sir, please let me,” she tries one more time, “please, please, Sir.” 

Cardan has been watching her closely and this is it, she has passed where she thought she could go. Just beyond the line, where he likes it. 

“Yes Jude, cum for me. Now,” he orders not tearing his eyes away and letting the vibrator go to its highest setting. 

It’s an overwhelming amount of stimulation to the most sensitive part of her body. She cries out as her orgasm rolls over her like a wave crashing to the shore, her body arching up from the chair and then falling back against it when she finishes. Her breathing is slow and steady and her eyes as closed. 

The vibrator turns off and Cardan moves from the bed. He grabs a water bottle from the minifridge and brings it to her. “When you’re ready, drink,” he says, it’s not really a command but Jude takes it as such. 

After a moment she opens her eyes and takes the water drinking down a few sips. He’s close by to her now. This must be aftercare Jude realizes. 

“You did so good,” Cardan marvels and runs a hand through her hair. “You were a very good girl.” 

His words make her shiver with pride. She did it. She did exactly what he asked and now he’s praising her for it. She didn’t think something like this could make her so happy, let alone that Cardan could be the one to do it. She is in deep. 

“Uh, thanks,” she adds as silly it might be. 

“How are you feeling? Be honest,” he specifies. 

“Good, it was more intense than I thought, but I didn’t hate it,” she says. She’s still holding a bit back. If she doesn’t let him know how much she needs it, no one can hold it over her. While she had opened herself up in scene, after there is that pesky history that creeps at the back of Jude’s mind. 

She takes another sip of the water, “I would do it again. More things.” 

Cardan nods, “Good to know, because I would to.”

“I’m willing to see where it goes,” Jude gives him. It is as much as she’s able to commit to at that time. She is beginning to break out from the scene, the connection slipping away into uncertainty. 

“In that case, I’d like for us to make an agreement,” Cardan says clearing his throat. 

“Are you saying you want to make a contract?” she raises a brow at him. “Seems a little controlling.”

“Not like that,” he shakes his head. He gently strokes his thumb against her shoulder as she continues to come down from her orgasm. “I just want some set rules between us. That we both agree on.”

“A negotiation, then,” she supplies. 

“Yes,” he agrees. His lips twist into a nervous smile, one she would have thought was condescending before. 

“Sure. But I’d like room service first,” Jude bargains, her own smile coming to her lips. She might as well take advantage of the situation. 

If what they had just done had taught Jude anything it was that giving in to Cardan felt a lot like winning. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! This chapter is one of my favorites I’ve written thus far. If you like you can find me on Tumblr at [babblesbabble](https://babblesbabble.tumblr.com/). I’d love to chat with you.


End file.
